By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist
August 31,2016; 11:54PM,EDT
Tropical Depression Nine has strengthened to Tropical Storm Hermine. Hermine will turn toward Florida with heavy rain, gusty winds and the risk of flooding late this week.
This is a closeup live loop of Hermine. (NOAA/Satellite)The center of the storm is located about 350 miles west-southwest of Tampa, Florida.
"We expect the storm to make a curve to the northeast at midweek and should make landfall north of Tampa and perhaps close to Apalachicola, in the Big Bend of Florida during Thursday evening," according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.
"Only if the storm remains weak and poorly organized will the track shift farther to the west along the Gulf coast," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Evan Duffey.
In advance of the storm, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a State of Emergency to help 42 counties prepare. NFL officials moved the preseason game at Tampa Bay to Wednesday instead of Thursday to avoid complications from severe weather.
A mandatory evacuation notice has been issued for Franklin County, located along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico on the Florida Panhandle.
The storm will unload a general 4-8 inches of rain with locally 12 inches possible. This rainfall is enough to cause urban and low-lying area flooding.
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Near and just south of the center of the storm, onshore winds will push Gulf of Mexico water landward and are likely to cause coastal flooding. Major cities that can be affected by coastal flooding include Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida, even if the storm makes landfall 100 miles or more to the north.
In addition to the risk of flooding, locally severe thunderstorms will have the potential to bring damaging wind gusts. Near and shortly after the storm makes landfall, there will be a significant risk of waterspouts and tornadoes being spawned in central and northern Florida.
People in the central and northern part of the Florida Peninsula and the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle should be prepared for tropical storm to minimal hurricane conditions with power outages, flooded roads and airline disruptions.
Sea and surf conditions will become dangerous along the Florida west coast on Wednesday and the upper east coast on Thursday.
After traversing the Florida Peninsula on Thursday night, the storm will emerge from northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia on Friday morning. In this position, rough surf, gusty winds and heavy rains will lash coastal areas.
The storm will roughly parallel the Carolina coast on Friday afternoon and into Saturday morning.
Northeast may face rain and wind this weekend
How close the storm tracks to the coast will determine how much strength the system maintains. A track just offshore of the Carolinas could allow renewed strengthening. On the other hand, a track just inland through Saturday would cause the storm to weaken, but heavy rain may be unloaded over much of the Carolinas, perhaps spreading to Virginia and states farther to the north along the Atlantic Seaboard this weekend.
Beyond Saturday, a swift track out to sea would cause the northward progression of clouds, rain and wind over the Atlantic Seaboard to cease.
"This out-to-sea scenario would suggest that most days of the weekend are sunny, not only inland, but along the coast in the Northeast," Abrams said.
"However, if the system turns northward after perhaps regaining strength over the Atlantic, tropical storm conditions with heavy rain and strong winds could swiftly move northward along the mid-Atlantic coast into New England for a time this weekend," Abrams said.
Since the storm will have to pass over a significant amount of land before entering the Atlantic, it is too early to say with confidence about the outcome of weather conditions in the Northeast this weekend.
This not only includes people heading to the beaches such as Wildwood, New Jersey, Coney Island, New York, or Cape Cod, Massachusetts, but also outdoor and travel activities in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.
In any case, surf and seas will be rough along much of the East coast for all or part of the Labor Day weekend from the southern Atlantic coast to New England.
Linda Klenotic ·
Prayers for all involved. Stay safe stay dry
Bryan Lee Kristofic ·
Anyone
that lives in Destin can help me out. We are suppose to go there this
Saturday morning for the labor day weekend and we have a beachfront
house booked there. Should we go or will it rain all weekend? Really
don't know if we should cancel the trip or just go and hope it goes
away.
Pablo Bontti ·
We
are here in Destin. So far so good. We were thinking about leaving but
decided to wait and see what happens. Now going to sleep. Weather still
ok here.
1
John Baker ·
You
will probably be fine. The storm will be long gone. And Destin will
be on the clean side of a fairly weak storm. Just keep an eye on it and
it will probably be business as usual in Destin.
Paula Taylor ·
Chris Coad Taylor, you and Larry be safe during this hurricane season ❤️
William Johnson ·
I'll bet it hits farther south, like Tampa bay maybe...we shall see.
Marc Velez ·
Catalina Martina Please be safe....
Tracy Key Goss ·
Kim Gaddis bet the shells would be awesome in Sanibel
Lewis Zipperer
Exactly how does one gauge 7 inches of rain fall in the Gulf of Mexico?
Scott Wilson ·
WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!
Scott Wilson ·
My internet has been down most of the day. OH NO!!!!
Ian Levinson ·
WHY dose everyone freak out. All the water is off the shelves at all the stores. This is Nothing.
Tammy Ottinger ·
I
am in pinellas park florida, which borders st. Petersburg, and our
street has been under water since noon. It appears to be 4-5 inches
deep. The storms woke at 5 a.m. this morning and it hasn't stopped
raining all day. Sometimes heavy sometimes a gentle steady rain.
Robert Kahn ·
Hey
Alex, do you think TPA will close tomorrow or just experience delays. I
have an 11:00 AM flight out of Tampa and have to drive there from North
Port, 60 miles south. Also, should I expect a dangerous drive up I-75?
Trying to decide whether or go or reschedule
Annette Stewart ·
will this have any effect on Destin.?
Terry N Mitch Perkins ·
Yes, regardless where the eye of the storm hits land, we will get lots of rain & strong winds.
Michele Savell ·
Are they sure it's going to Florida?
I think they said that about Katrina and it did a turn around and made landfall in Louisiana?
I think they said that about Katrina and it did a turn around and made landfall in Louisiana?
Colt Heard ·
Hurricane Katrina first made landfall in Florida, I was in its eye.
Michele Savell ·
Oh wow Katrina turned around and went back into the gulf and strengthened and then hit Louisiana?Wow,How were you in the eye?
Marian Dove ·
I
was living in Bonita Springs, Florida when Katrina came roaring through
and yes I was in the eye of the hurricane before it made its way over
to Louisiana, New Orleans etc. The second blow after the eye passed,
was actually worse then being in the eye its self! Came back to New
Jersey.....and along came hurricane Sandy! This was very just as bad as
Katrina!
Tracy Toman ·
hope
everyone stays safe...after getting hit with hurricane charley in 2004
as a cat 4-5 and 3 more storms after that this should not be too
bad...but be safe everyone...
Stephanie Sargeant ·
Good luck to my Tallahassee family! !
Charlotte P Moore ·
How is this going to affect gulf shores beach on vacation
Heather Hodges-Gwaltney ·
Works at Johns Hopkins Hospital
hey guys, storms a brewin :)
Kiersten Pace ·
I'm trying to go to NC this weekend, I hope this storm doesn't prevent that from happening
Adam Meanbrahim ·
William
Barrett I think Kiersten is saying she will be traveling during the
period where this storm will be passing over the state and she hopes
that it will not cause a problem. It's not that difficult if you just
use context clues. I'm also flying to NC tomorrow night when the storm
will be passing through central florida and I also hope it doesn't
cause the flight to be cancelled.
Kiersten Pace ·
Adam Meanbrahim Thank you! I'm trying to drive and need to plan. Hope you have a safe flight!
William Barrett ·
Adam Meanbrahim What's a context clue? Hold on a second.
William Barrett ·
Adam
Meanbrahim Hey Adam and Kiersten. Are you guys going to Biscuit Head.
You should. Ahahaha. That's cool. This has been great. Hahahaha. You
people are really cool. Thanks. Isn't weather interesting. I think it
is. Geez. Alright, be safe out there.
William Barrett ·
Do me a favor. Press Subscribe at the bottom of the page and i'll see you next week.
Sonny Batson ·
Just
another big rainstorm and, for those of us living in the rural areas of
the state who are dependent on half -ssed, incompetent electric
cooperatives, annoying and unnecessary power outages.
Dana Adkins ·
and spotty satellight because that's all that is available around here
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